Suspenders



H. S. FRANK Jan. 8, 41935.

SUSPENDERS Filed July so, 1934 Patented Jan. 8, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENToFFIcE 1,981,523 sUsPENnEns Haskel S. Frank; Chicago, Ill., assignor to A. l

Stein & Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application my 3o, 193,4, serial No. '137,511

a claims. (ci. 241-12) Y This invention relates to suspenders such as formation, in effect, of curved arms 15, 15 adjaare worn by men for supporting trousers. cent the ends of the connecting member 13. The The main objects of the invention are to promemberv 13 is preferably formed of flexible mavide a suspender construction which will per- 'terial such as-leather. Moaterial suchv as exemmit the various portions of the Suspenders to plied by leathenretains its exibilityinthe commaintain a normally at condition when worn, pleted Suspenders and hence adds materially'to Jregardless of the spreading or angular relationthe comfort of the Suspenders when worn..

ship of the various strap portions of the sus- For connecting the back ends 16, 16 of the penders; to provide a suspender construction shoulder straps 5 and 6 and the upper ends 17, which will afford a greater degree of comfort than 17 of the back straps 10 and 11 to the connecting l@ is oiered by conventional constructions; to promember 13, anchoring elements 18 of leather or vide a suspender structurehaving the features other suitable material are provided. As shown indicated and whichmay be produced economimost clearly in Fig. 3, the'anchoring'elements 18 cally and soldat a low price; andto provide an are extended through the openings 14 of the conl5 improved suspender construction which will. be necting member 13 and looped around the curved l@ light in weight, cool to wear and durable. arm portions thereof and the opposite ends of Other objects and advantages of the invention each of the elements 18 caused to embrace the will be understood by reference to the following end DOIOD 0f 011,0f the Straps 5, 6, 10 and 11- specication and accompanying drawing,`in which The elements 18 are anchored .to the respective 20 there is illustrated'a pair of Suspenders embodystraps by being- Stitched thelelU, aS indicated 2@ ing a selected form of the invention. at 19. 1

In the drawing- The connecting-member 13 and the anchoring Fig. 1 is a perspective illustrating a pairl of the elements 18, 18 are preferablyformedv of leather improved Suspenders approximately in the form or other pieces, all ofl which are cut by the same pm which they are worn; die so as to be of like size and shape. Theele- 2@ Fig. 2 is an enlarged illustration of a portion ments 18 are not, of course, apertured adjacentof the Suspenders and corresponding to a portion their ends as is the member 13, and the punching of Fig. 1; and y of the apertures 14 may be effected by an in- Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. dependent operation. -It will be observed that the 3Q Referring now to the drawing, the improved members 13 and elements 18 are each reduced in 3@ 5`0 The shoulder straps and back straps are conadjusting to proper tting condition so that the Suspenders include shoulder straps 5 and re-6 width approximately midway their lengths so spectively, which are provided at their front ends that the median portions of the members 18 which with trousers-engaging tabs 7, -'7. The tabs 7, 7 are located within the openings 14, will pass freemay be of any suitable material, for example, ly therethrough so that said elements may slide leather, and they may be connected to the shoularound the curved arm portions with comparative 35 der straps 5 and 6 in any convenient manner. ease. Where the shoulder straps 5 andi 6 are formed The straps 5, 6, 10' and 11 are, by the described of elastic webbing, as herein contemplated, the construction, independently adjustable relative to' tabs may be secured to therespective straps each other so that they are adapted to lie fiat "10 through the agency ofmetal buckles 8, 8 in a when worn, regardless of the spreading of the 4@ more or less conventional manner. Devices inrespective parts. It will be understood that on a dicated at 9, 9 constitute adjusting clasps for advery wide shouldered and heavy-set person, the justing the effective length of the Suspenders. shoulder straps 5 and 6 and the back straps 10 and Back straps 10 and 11 are also provided and 11 will normally diverge at a considerably greater these are preferably formed of the same kind of angle than is the case when the Suspenders are material as the shoulder straps 5` and 6. The worn by a slender person. By reason of the adlower ends of the back straps 10 and 11 may be justable structure described, the respective straps provided with trousers-engaging tabs 12, 12 of need not be stretched orotherwise distorted to leather 017 other suitable material. t diilerent types of men, but are, in effect, selfnected together through the agency of a connectstraps may lie at without buckling or bulging at ing member 13, which is elongated and extends any point and without excessive stretching in any transversely of the length of the straps. Adjalocalized area. 'A high degree of comfort results cent its opposite ends, the member 13 is provided from the adaptability of the Suspenders to differ- 5 with circular openings 14, 1-1 which result inthe ent sizes. 'as aboveindicated.

Economy of construction is facilitated by reason of the use of like sized and shaped members in producing the connecting member 13 and elements 18. As indicated in Fig. 3, the member 13 is of two-ply construction. The two plies need not be united and they may be replaced by a single-ply element if desired. However, in the prac` tical production of pieces like the connector 13 and the elements 18, of leather, leather which is nished on one face and unfinished on the other face, is preferably used for economic reasons. By` making the member 13 two-ply, the unnished faces of two such members are placed together so that the outside surfaces of the two-ply element are finished. Thus no heavy or expensive material finish on both faces need be handled.

The straps 5, 6, and 11 may, of course, be formed of material other than elastic webbing and other changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which should be determined by reference to the following claims, the same being construed as broadly as possible consistent with the state of the art.

I claim:

l. Suspenders comprising shoulder straps having their front ends provided with trousers-engaging elements, a pair of back straps having their lower ends provided with trousers-engaging elements, elongated, flexible sheet material means extending transversely of said straps and provided adjacent its ends with curved arm portions,

and flexible sheet material elements looped around said curved arm portions and respectively secured to the upper and back ends respectively ed independently of each other, said connector being formed of iiexible sheet material and having a pair of openings spaced transversely of the length of the Suspenders, said openings being of smaller diameter than the width of'said straps, the connections between said shoulder and back strap ends and said connector each comprising a flexible sheet material element having outer end portions of substantially the same width as the respective straps and a narrow intermediate portion, each element, being projected through one of the openings in the connector and folded -upon itself so as to cause said narrow intermediate portion to embrace a connector portion around such open-ing, said element being capable of being assembled with the connector as an incident to the inherent distortability of the flexible material of which said parts are formed, the overlapping portions of said folded element being disposed on opposite sides of the strap end with which the element is associated and iixedly united thereto by stitching, one shoulder. strap and one back strap having its end element associated with one of said openings and the other shoulder strap and 

